AcexReader- Cold NIghts
by Epiczelda14
Summary: A cold night spent with Ace! Where could it lead?


_Crackle. Crackle. _ The tame fire's flames licked at the star-dotted sky wildy. It brought a warm feeling to my body and gave me comfort as I lay in my sleeping bag, watching it burn brightly. Just a few feet away, Ace lay on top of his sleeping bag in the same belly-down position as me. I glanced at his face, noting the relaxation in his eyes. The sight of flames probably was the reason for his comfort.

With his chin resting on his hands he slowly turned his head my way, "Is there something on my face?"

"Uhh.. What?" I said, realizing that my glance at him probably had turned more into a stare. "No. I was just, ummm-"

"Oh, I see. You were totally checking me out," he said it so calmly and with the most smug grin on his face, which only infuriated me.

"I was not!" I could feel the blush creeping into my cheeks.

"Right," he responded sarcastically while chuckling. He noticed my expression and quickly said, "You can calm down, I was just joking." as I ignored him, we both turned our attention back to the fire, me blushing madly and him grinning wickedly.

Maybe he was right though. Was I checking him out? I guess that's what most people would call it, but I didn't want to believe that I was interested in, of all people, Portgas D. Ace.

Suddenly, dark clouds started to float across the sky rapidly blocking the view of the shining stars. They came so quickly, I didn't know what to make of them, but Ace knew exactly what they meant. "Rain," he stated simply, becoming quite serious. Before I could even fathom what was happening, he had gotten out of his sleeping bag, rolled it, and was pulling me out of mine. I didn't object as he kindly yet firmly grasped my arms to hoist me up. He quickly rolled my sleeping bag up and compacted it into his backpack along with his. He put the fire out just at the rain started to fall.

Ace started to walk away as I stood in the middle of where we had set up camp, staring blankly at the sky, letting tiny rain drops fall on my face. "Are you coming? Or are you just gonna get drenched out here?" I heard him call out. Slipping out of my daze, I jogged to catch up to him.

After a good twenty minutes, we reached the outskirts of a nearby town. I guess I had expected rain to ruin our trip out into the woods eventually. We had planned to just trek around for a few weeks and to see some of the natural scenery on this vast island, but Mother Nature sure wouldn't be having that tonight.

As we approached the small village, I could see a quaint looking inn just a little farther down the beaten path we were walking on. The rain was still coming down and it was only getting worse by the minute. I looked ahead at Ace who was a few paces ahead of me. I was drenched and shivering but he seemed perfectly fine. He looked wet but I knew the heat from his body was keeping him from the nasty effects of the rain. I knew that Ace could've kept walking until it stopped but I couldn't take much more. Plus I knew that we would both eventually need to sleep so I figured I should suggest that we take shelter for the night and continue our trip tomorrow. "There's an inn over there," I pointed out. He looked ahead and nodded his head in confirmation.

By the time we had reached the inn he was even wetter but he showed no signs of being cold. I on the other hand was beyond freezing. My shivers felt more like convulsions and I could barely breathe. Ace noticed as we walked into the inn and he told me to wait by the fireplace in the lobby while he got a room key.

So there I stood, soaking wet, patiently waiting for Ace to return. I could tell that the inn was nice and warm and toasty, but sadly I was past the point of feeling it. There were pictures of farms and animals hung on the walls and they made the space seem cozy despite my predicament. While I was staring aimlessly at a painting of cows grazing in a field, Ace returned.

"Our room is upstairs and they gave me some extra blankets since we were out in the rain," he said as he handed me a neatly folded pile of blankets. Ace started his way up the stairs and I followed, clutching the blankets to my chest as tightly as I could to try and retain their warmth.

Ace unlocked the door to our room and as quickly as I had entered, I was laying on the nearest bed. I laid there trying to engulf myself in the soft comforter and blankets I had carried up with me. But it was short lived when Ace said, "Whoa there little Miss. Eager. You're still soaking wet!" Moaning, I pulled myself up and gave him a small pout. "But I'm so cold and so tired," I complained.

"Well that's just too bad," he responded lightheartedly. "I'll tell you what. If you get your wet self off of our blankets, I'll let you take the bath first."

It sounded promising and a nice hot bath sounded extremely tempting at this particular moment. "Fine. You have a deal," I tried to hide the excitement in my voice as I bounded over to the bathroom.

_Half an hour later_

I opened the bathroom door releasing the remnants of the steam from my bath into the small room. Ace was laying on one of the two twin beds, reading a book. He looked up as I entered the room and he smiled. The hot bath and his charming smile made me feel flustered. I gave a sheepish smile back and quickly walked over to the other bed. There, I lay down on top of the still tucked in sheets, just letting the air in the room cool my warm skin before I settled in to go to sleep.

"My turn!" I heard Ace say excitedly as I saw his shirtless body enter the bathroom. How he managed to never wear a shirt, no matter what the situation, astounded me to this day. I feel like after knowing him for so long I should be used to it but it still always made me feel a little nervous around him.

I heard the water turn on and I took a deep breath in. What was wrong with me? Ace and I have been close for so long and now, all of a sudden, I'm feeling flustered and embarrassed whenever I'm around him. Maybe all the rain was just getting to me. Some sleep would do me some good. I briskly snuggled my way under the bedspread and nestled myself in the warmth of the sheets. Shortly after, I fell asleep to the sound of the hot running water coming from the bathroom.

_Late into the night…_

I fluttered my eyes open, letting them focus in the dark haze of the night. I didn't know how long I had been asleep but it only felt like a few hours had gone by before I was awoken by another round of the shivers. Groggily, I sat up in bed while rubbing my hands over my arms to create some warm friction. I looked over at where Ace was sleeping. His sheets were strewn all over the floor and he laid sprawled across the other bed with a book resting on his chest.

Sometimes I really wish I could've eaten his devil fruit so I wouldn't have to be so cold all the time. He was like a miniature sun, for god's sake! And here I was freezing like a popsicle! I sighed in frustration and kept rubbing my arms.

After a few minutes, I decided to try and go back to sleep so I could sooner embrace the warm sunlight in the morning. As I laid my head back onto my pillow, I caught a glimpse of Ace's comforter and sheets on the floor. He probably wouldn't be needing them tonight considering his circumstances and I could use all the extra help I could get.

Quietly, I leaned over the side of the bed and tried to grab the blankets. They were only a few inches out of my reach so I crawled my way over to them with my legs and hips still on the bed while my entire upper body was leaning over the floor. I grasped the soft cotton between my fingers and started to pull myself back into bed. As I did so, the blanket suddenly caught onto something and it pulled me back to the floor.

My head hit the wood with a loud _thump_ and I winced in pain. As I struggled to minimize the throbbing in my brain, I heard a rustling sound. I quickly stopped writhing around in my half-on-the-bed-half-on-the-floor position and looked up. Against the dim light coming from the curtain-drawn window, I could make out a faint silhouette. Ace's silhouette.

He lit a flame on the tip of his finger, illuminating the room and casting shadows on every nook and cranny in sight. My eyes were forced to squint in retaliation against the brightness. With tired eyes, he looked back down at me in my wrangled mess and shook his head.

"What are you doing?" He asked, looking amused.

"Uhh... I was cold and your blankets were on the floor and umm, I just thought you wouldn't mind if I borrowed them for a little bit," I replied sheepishly, feeling my cheeks turn red as my embarrassment rose.

Ace reached down the hand that wasn't set ablaze and held the back of it to my forehead. "Well you do feel a little chilly." He then caressed his hand down to my cheek and exclaimed, "Oh, but your cheeks are actually really hot."

His warm hands struck something in me and I abruptly stood up and crawled back into bed along with his former blanket. I bundled myself up in it and had my back facing to him. I didn't dare let him see how red my face had become. Very shortly afterwards, Ace extinguished his flame and I tried to fall back asleep as quickly as possible. I was thankful that there wasn't any more light in the room so I could easily rest without having to worry about Ace seeing my face.

But apparently, no matter what I did, my body refused to exude any sort of heat. I was still cold and shivering like crazy. Falling asleep was going to be harder than I had expected I soon realized. A good ten or fifteen minutes went by and I was still cold. I was so tired, I was just about ready to start crying in cold frustration when all of a sudden I felt something very warm press up against my back.

At first I was stunned by the sudden heat but I soon had an extreme adoration for it. It felt so nice, whatever it was. I felt a strong muscular arm wrap around my body as I let myself fall into it and then it hit me. I turned my head around cautiously to see what was granting all of my wishes and, as expected, Ace laid just a few mere centimeters away from me.

His eyes were closed and he looked comfortable as ever, almost as if he was just meant to be there. I blinked rapidly, slightly in a state of shock. Eventually, my brain commanded me to do something about the man in my bed so I abruptly sat up which seemed to do the trick. He stirred and slowly opened his eyes, "Mmmm," he grunted.

"What are you doing in my bed?" I exclaimed softly. Don't get me wrong here, he did feel nice and I was finally starting to return to a normal body temperature, but I wondered what possessed him, the person who always teased me about how I would never get a boyfriend with the way I looked and acted, to slip into bed with me.

"You said you were cold and I've been watching you for the past fifteen minutes, shivering to death. So I thought I would do the gentlemanly thing and offer my services," he groggily replied while giving a reassuring smile.

"So getting into bed with girls without warning is your idea of being a gentleman?" I teased him. He closed his eyes and sighed, "I can go back if you'd prefer it." He removed the sheets from over his body and threw his legs over the side of the bed so that he was sitting with his muscular back facing me. He began to stand up but before he could I shouted, "No!" and lunged towards him. He felt warm, too warm to let him go. I closed my eyes shut tightly, hanging on for what seemed like dear life. I hadn't truly realized what I had done until I felt Ace rest a hand on my arms that were now wrapped around him.

"Oh! I-I-I'm sorry!" I stammered out. "I don't know what came over me." I released him and backed away a little to give him some space so he could go back to his own bed. But before I could completely let go of my grip on him, he turned his entire body over and pushed me onto my back, straddling me and pinning my arms to the bed. I gave a small yelp, shocked by his actions. Gathering the courage, I looked up at him from underneath his body. He hung his head low so that I couldn't see his face.

"(y/n)_ …," he whispered. My face was on fire as I heard my name leave his lips. He lowered his head until his forehead was resting against my chest. I gulped, not really knowing what to do or say, although I had an unmistakable feeling that keeping quiet was the right thing to do in this situation. There was only silence in the room for a few minutes. My body was getting warmer by the second as Ace straddled my lower half and came close to laying on my upper half.

Finally, he spoke softly, "(y/n)_...I don't really know how to talk about my feelings but I want to be able to share them with you." I stared at the ceiling as I listened. "We've spent a lot of time together over the past few months. I've really gotten to know you as a person and I'm really happy that we met. When we did I was a mess. But over time you've changed me. I've started to see things in a new light and I have you to thank for that." He then lifted his head back up and looked down at me from above. There was a rawness; an openness that I had never seen in him before. "I get this feeling that I've never felt before when I look at you and only you. Everytime I see you smile I feel happy and when I see you sad or in pain I just feel mad and want to protect you." Even in the darkness, I could see the truth beaming through his eyes.

"Ace…," I whispered.

"We tease each other and I know I always insult you and tell you how you're not pretty or smart enough to find someone. But every time I say those things, I'm lying. Seeing you hang around and talk with other guys always seems to make me jealous. And for the longest time I couldn't see why. All I knew was that I wanted to set fire to any other guy who so much as looked at you," I couldn't help but smile a little as he said that. "I'm sorry. I just couldn't hold it back any longer," He closed his eyes and sniffled slightly. I had never seen _the_ Portgas D. Ace so vulnerable before. I still didn't know what to say but I felt my heart flutter at his words as I realized I felt the exact same way. I hadn't known it up until now but I knew that that's how I had always felt; ever since the day I had met him.

Ace continued to keep his eyes closed until I slowly pulled one of my wrists from underneath his grasp. I lifted my hand to his face and rested it against his freckled cheek. My fingertips felt the warmth that emanated from his smooth skin. He was burning up just as much as I was. With the touch of my hand, Ace opened his eyes and peered down at me once again. I brushed my thumb along his cheek slowly as his gaze bore into me.

I removed my other wrist from it's pinned position and placed it upon his other cheek. I took in a deep, silent breath, only wanting to revel in this absolute moment. We stared at each other for who knows how long. Our eyes seemed to be exchanging words and thoughts that we couldn't find the words to express them in. In a split second, something in Ace seemed to change and , before I could even process what was happening, I felt something warm and soft embrace my lips. I laid there, clueless for a moment. But I soon came to and relaxed, letting myself fall deeper and deeper into his kiss. I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him as close as I possibly could to my body, only wanting to feel him; only wanting to imagine that we were the only two souls in the entire universe.

After what seemed like an eternity of bliss, our lips parted and mine felt like they were on fire as my hot, shallow breath escaped them. Our eyes were closed but we soon opened them and looked deeply at each other, the realization of our reality finally hitting us. For the first time ever, I felt like there was a connection deeper than what my mind could perceive. And I think that Ace could feel it too. All of my doubts and worries just seemed to melt away with his warmth as we laid there together in silence.

Eventually, I broke it and calmly whispered, "I feel the same way." I gave him a small, sheepish smile. It was then that I saw flicker of light almost seem to gleam across his eyes. He happily smiled back and embraced his lips with mine once more. Our breathing became ragged, seemingly less and less important as our bodies grew more and more desperate for attention. Ace wrapped his arms around my waist and rolled us over so that no longer was I beneath him, but I was now the one straddling him. The change in position never once interrupted our lips' contact. Not lasting nearly long enough, I was forced to pull away as my lungs were vying for air. I rested my head on Ace's chest and took in deep breaths. I could hear his heart beating a mile a minute and I was sure mine was beating just as fast.

"Ace," I called out through the moonlit room. I heard no reply. I called his name again but was still met with no answer. I lifted my head only to find that Ace was out cold. "Damn narcolepsy," I whispered, chuckling quietly to myself. I admired his sleeping face as I brushed a few loose strands of hair out of his face. Resting my head on his chest once more, I smiled to myself.

Thankful that he wasn't able to hear my next confession, I slowly whispered to him, "Ace… I love you." I closed my eyes and snuggled closer to his warm body. "_I guess being cold can have its perks," _I thought gleefully as the rise and fall of Ace's chest lulled me to sleep.


End file.
